CaseTrail

Wolman v. Walter

433 U.S. 229 · Decided June 24, 1977 · Supreme Court of the United States

Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.

At a glance

Wolman v. Walter was decided on June 24, 1977 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
433 U.S. 229 · 97 S. Ct. 2593 · 53 L. Ed. 2d 714 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 140
Docket number
76-496
Decided
June 24, 1977
Argued
April 25, 1977
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
7–2
Majority opinion
Harry A. Blackmun
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Appeal
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (establishment of religion)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Held unconstitutional
A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteSpecial concurrenceCo-authored an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallDissentWrote an opinion
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Special concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice William H. RehnquistSpecial concurrenceCo-authored an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion

Full case caption

Wolman et al. v. Walter et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1976-167, docket 1976-167-01.

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Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error